Ketogluconate formation by Gluconobacter species

Summary

When G. oxydans ATCC 621-H was grown in batch culture in a complex medium with glucose, ketogluconates were produced when the pH in the culture was maintained at 5.5. Without pH control gluconate was the only product of glucose oxidation, but at pH 5.5 the gluconate so produced was further oxidized to ketogluconates. Production of ketogluconates started when glucose was almost completely exhausted. It was shown that the actual glucose and gluconate concentrations in the culture do not determine the onset of ketogluconate formation during growth. Both 2 and 5 ketogluconate were produced. Addition of CaCO₃ to the medium favored the production of 5 ketogluconate. However, under these conditions minor quantities of 2 ketogluconate were also formed. The sequential production of gluconate and ketogluconates from glucose was not only restricted to G. oxydans ATCC 621-H. A number of G. oxydans strains when grown under standard conditions in a pH controlled batch culture, all produced ketogluconates from glucose via an intermediate accumulation of gluconate. Although the ratios of the ketogluconates produced varied from strain to strain, all strains produced both 2 and 5 ketogluconate.